Being a vegan, I really appreciated the article and the recipes. And the community aspect of bringing families together to share food is something I miss now that I do not live in Portland.

I think the negative comments stem from the fact these people are not eating meat or dairy. Again, being a vegan I get all kinds of amazing reactions and comments from people who can't comprehend living on a plant-based diet. And I think most of the reactions stem from insecurities...my plate of food makes people think about what they are eating and how it was produced. In this day and age of factory farming, most people do not want to "meet their meat".

oakley, i don't understand why you'd want to harm an animal everytime a particular group of people annoys you. can you help me understand that point of view?

peta might tick you off, but notice that the media hangs on to the most sensational stories relating to peta. have you ever thought about how your meat is produced? about how many animals are crammed into small, indoor spaces and forced to undergo all kinds of 'techniques' in order to hasten their production of eggs, milk, meat, etc?

most people don't want to know where the meat they eat comes from, and all agri-business hides these awful factory farms because any human being with a sense of morality would be absolutely outraged at the suffering and the atrocious living conditions.

instead of making wry jokes about peta, i wish people would try to understand the real issues and politics behind the meat industry.

sadly, most people are just happy to keep stuffing their faces with cheap hamburgers and don't want to think about the role they play in animal suffering.

Yes, and if their presence doesn't directly benefit a human being, they should be shot, poisoned, trapped and eliminated.

You know humans are responsible for the elimination of the species in the United States about 100 years ago. What's wrong with trying to get the ecosystem back into balance? Their presence is NATURAL.

At this point, the opponents of the wolf's re-introduction to the state seem mostly involved with the livestock industry, and I'm positive our state's biological needs should not be dictated by cattle ranchers and sheep farmers.

thomast - you act like the sea lions are the biggest problem fisherman have to face with regards to declining salmon population.

but really, aren't the sea lions a big scapegoat in all of this? what percentage of the salmon are being killed by the dams? what percentage are dying from river pollution? how about climate change? how much does overfishing play into this debate?

additionally, federal judges who have been weighing in on this case said at worst the sea lions would eat less than 1% of the 2008 salmon run:

"The judges explained that if no sea lions are removed this year, they might consume between 212 and 2,094 spring chinook salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act, according to federal estimates. The 2008 salmon run is expected to be 269,000 fish, they said."

finally, i don't think i understand the your point about money spent on a boat and fishing equipment. are you saying because you spent that money you should have unfettered access to the fish? again, if you think that's the case, it seems you should be looking at the real reasons the salmon runs are declining or are in need of help and rehabilitation. from what i know, the sea lions are not even close to being the biggest problem in this equation...they are just the easiest and most convenient ones to target.

Seems like a lot of hand wringing for something that seems rather inconsequential. Did you read the statistics on how many fish are actually being eaten?

"The judges explained that if no sea lions are removed this year, they might consume between 212 and 2,094 spring chinook salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act, according to federal estimates. The 2008 salmon run is expected to be 269,000 fish, they said."

By my count, that's less that 1% of the salmon run. What's the big deal, exactly?!?